Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival

Casting Call Goes Out for Dogs to Play Crab

The Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival in Incline Village, Nev., has set auditions for the part of Crab, the dog in William Shakespeare's The Two Gentlemen of Verona, which will be performed from July 13 to August 26 at Sand Harbor State Park.

The first round of auditions is set for March 21 from 4:30–7:30 p.m. at the Donald W. Reynolds Non-Profit Community Center, 948 Incline Way in Incline Village. As the 2012 LTSF production runs six nights a week throughout a six-week period, two dogs may be selected to play the part of Crab.

“The ideal candidates should be extremely mellow in nature, must be able to perform outdoors in any weather and resist the temptation to run, act upon or be interested in outside distractions such as bugs, animals, people, sound, and lights,” Producing Artistic Director Charles Fee said in the audition announcement. The dog must also be agile, able to negotiate a flight of stairs (up and down), be well behaved, and respond to simple commands such as “sit,” “stay,” and “down.” “Service-trained dogs are welcome as are any other fun-loving, well-behaved canines who have dreamed of stardom,” said Fee.

Interested owners must send a headshot of the dog, owner/handler information, and any additional details that they'd like to share to [email protected]. Once the information is reviewed, all applicants will receive a call to confirm a time for the first interview. If the dog is selected to continue with the audition process, the final audition will be scheduled for April 24, 4:30–7:30 p.m.

Rehearsals start July 9, and the dogs must be available every night as scheduled, from 7:00 until 10:30 p.m., Tuesdays through Sundays. Crab appears in approximately four scenes in this production. Owners must also be on site during the entire duration of the scheduled shows.

“In addition to their dogs being in the spotlight of our performance, their owners receive a variety of benefits, including tickets to the show, a stipend, and other perks,” said Fee.

For more information about the dog auditions, contact the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival at [email protected] or call 775-298-0147. For complete information about the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival and other cultural activities within the Festival's 2012 summer season, visit www.LakeTahoeShakespeare.com or call 800-74-SHOWS (7-4697).

February 15, 2012

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